How to enrol OLD

What you need

To enrol, you will need to prove who are you. There are three ways you can do this:
 

  • Give your Australian driver’s licence number
  • Give your Australian passport number
  • Ask a person you know, who is already enrolled to vote in Australia, to confirm your identity

Enrolling online

You can enrol online through the AEC website.

Click ‘Enrol to vote’, and then answer the questions in each step with the following information about you:

  • Name
  • Place and date of birth
  • Postal and physical home address
  • Citizenship
  • Contact email and phone number
  • Your Australian driver’s licence or passport number

If you would like to ask a person you know, who is already enrolled to vote in Australia, to confirm your identity, you will need to print out the online form and post it to the AEC. You will not be able to finalise your enrolment online.

Enrolling with a form

If you want to enrol with a paper form, you can either:

  1. Download and print a PDF form
    Visit the AEC website to do this. Make sure you download the form for the state or territory that you live in.
  2. Collect a form from any AEC office or state/territory office
    Click here to find your closest AEC Office or call 13 23 26. If you would like to call in a language other than English, you can call AEC on the numbers listed here.
  3. Contact the AEC and ask them to send you a form
    See here.

To enrol with a form, you will need to fill out the following information about you:
 

  • Name
  • Place and date of birth
  • Postal and physical home address
  • Citizenship
  • Contact email and phone number
  • Your Australian driver’s licence OR passport number OR Have a person you know, who is already enrolled to vote in Australia, sign and date the form to confirm your identity

You should then return the filled-out paper form to the AEC. Remember to sign the form before you return it. You can choose how to return the form in the following ways:

  1. Post it to the AEC
    (you don’t need to use a stamp)
    AEC
    Reply Paid 9867
    [Your capital city]
  2. Scan and upload to the website
    Visit the AEC website here and click ‘upload enrolment, change name, or address form’
  3. Fax
    Find the details here
  4. Contact your local AEC office
    Find the details here

What to do if you don’t have a permanent address

If you do not currently live at a fixed or permanent address, you should enrol using the ‘No fixed address enrolment form’ for the state or territory that you want to vote in. You can download the form here.

Or collect the form from an AEC office.

You will be asked to enrol for one of the following:

  • for the address where you were last eligible to enrol, or
  • for the address where your next of kin is enrolled, or
  • where you were born, or
  • where you are most closely connected (for those born outside Australia).

To find out more about other enrolment options in special circumstances, visit:
www.aec.gov.au/enrol/#specialenrolment


Keeping your address secret (‘silent elector’)

Once you are enrolled to vote, your address will be published on a public list (electoral roll).

If you believe that having your address published could put you or your family in danger, you can apply to keep your address secret by becoming a ‘silent elector’.

To apply to become a ‘silent elector’, you will need to fill out an application form and return it to the AEC. You will still need to fill out an enrolment form as well as this application form.

You can download a silent elector form for your state or territory here.

You will need to provide the following information about you:

  • Name
  • Date of birth
  • Gender
  • Postal and physical home address
  • Contact email and phone number

You will also need to fill out a ‘statutory declaration’. This is where you must explain why you believe that publishing your residential address could put you or your family in danger.

A statutory declaration is an official declaration or testimony, and you will need to find a witness to sign the form. This witness must work in one of the jobs listed on the form.

Your application to be a silent elector will be considered by the AEC, and you will receive a letter advising you if it is approved or not.


Updating your address

You must tell the AEC every time you move house so they can update your address on the electoral roll. You can do this by following the steps to enrol.


More information

You can find more information about how to enrol on the AEC website, including downloading the AEC Easy English Guide for more information. The AEC also has information about enrolling to vote in other languages here.